Mardi Gras 2014 Comes to an End, The Freezing Temps Didn’t Stop the Party in Cajun Country

The beloved Mardi Gras season is over, police swept through Bourbon Street at midnight in the cities annual ritual of letting Carnival revelers know the party is over — until next year.

Temperatures for most of the day in the New Orleans area were in the lower 40s and by early evening were at about 38 degrees. The wind chill made it feel even colder.

Mardi Gras 2014 Comes to an End

Mardi Gras 2014 comes to an end. Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

The freezing temps didn’t stop the party in Cajun country though; partygoers braved the cold weather to sip cocktails in the French Quarter because it’s about tradition. The excessive behavior exhibited at Mardi Gras was far from most people’s minds as folks endured the wet and cold to celebrate Fat Tuesday.

Ronnie Davis, a professor of economics at the University of New Orleans, said, “All year I have to dress professionally. This is the one time I get to act like a fool.”

The cold rainy weather and harsh winds had the patrons filling up the local bars trying to warm up and stay dry. Some people drank coffee, instead of alcohol to stay warm.

A couple from Tampa, Fla. was dressed up in layers of clothing this year opposed to wearing their normal costumes. Rick Emerson and his wife Cheri said, “We’re bundled up. We’re not used to this sort of thing, but we wanted to see some costumes.”

Most people were determined to make Mardi Gras fun no matter what and keep the party and tradition alive.

Unfortunately this years Mardi Gras wasn’t just costumes, beads, and cocktails. Just before midnight, two people were found shot to death in a parking lot near the Port of New Orleans, police said. In a statement, police said both victims — ages 25 and 28 — were shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene.

In another unrelated shooting, police found a 25-year-old man was shot and wounded while attending a concert at a banquet hall around 10 p.m. Police said he was brought to the hospital and listed in stable condition.

Mardi Gras, also often referred to as Fat Tuesday is an annual celebration in New Orleans where people dress up in costumes, dance in the streets, walk in parades, and let loose their inhibitions.

Mardi Gras 2014 Comes to an End, The Freezing Temps Didn’t Stop the Party in Cajun Country.